Sunday, May 1
Santa Barbara, CA
10:00 a.m.
California State University at Northridge
10
vs
9
#10 UC Davis
Photo by: Tony Mastres
CSUN Water Polo Takes Down UC Davis to Close Out 2016 Season
5/1/2016 1:05:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
NORTHRIDGE, CA---
A day after suffering a defeat in the opening round of the conference quarterfinals, No. 24 CSUN Water Polo (12-20) bounced back in style with a 10-9 victory over No. 10 UC Davis (17-13) in a Big West Conference Tournament fifth-place game to close out the 2016 season. Katelyn Fairchild scored a career-high four goals to lead the Matadors on the offensive end and Niki Van Vugt tallied 13 saves inside the cage. The Matadors erased a halftime deficit with a strong third quarter and held off the Aggies down the stretch to pull off the upset win.Â
Coming into the 2016 season finale, the Matadors were winless in eight matches against Big West Conference foes including dropping two contests earlier in the season to 10th-ranked Aggies. In the team's last meeting, the Matadors fell 10-9 at home in a back-and-forth contest. Against UC Davis on Sunday, CSUN once again battled UC Davis in another seesaw affair that went down to the wire. In the end, CSUN showed grit to pull off the one-goal win to cap off a 12-win campaign.Â
Sophomore Madeleine Sanchez got the Matador offense rolling at the outset of the contest with her 73rd goal of the season. The game remained 1-0 for most of the first quarter until Allyson Hansen evened the contest at 1-1 with 4:41 on the clock. Both sides tallied one goal apiece over the final minutes of the period as the match remained tied at 2-2 going to the second.Â
The teams took turns exchanging goals in waining minutes of the second quarter as UC Davis took four different leads in the period but the Matadors remained close with strong play on the offensive end. After Carla Tocchini put the Aggies in front, Fairchild tossed in the tying goal on the Matadors' ensuing possession. Greta Kohlmoos made it 4-3 with a score with 1:58 left but again CSUN responded on the next possession with a tally from Shannon Hovanesian. Shortly after a CSUN ejection, Paige Virgil gave her team a one-goal lead momentarily before McKenzie Pollei struck the net with under a minute to play. UC Davis though took a 6-5 lead into intermission on a late score from Hansen.Â
In the third period, the Matadors turned up the defense with a strong quarter. In the eight-minute session, CSUN held the Aggies scoreless with stellar defensive play. On the offensive end, Amy Yule scored her second of the day to even the game in the opening minute and Hovanesian gave her team their first lead since the first period with just under 5:00 to play. Later in the quarter, CSUN added another on Fairchild's second score to push the lead to 8-6. The Matadors withstood a UC Davis power play in the final seconds and took a two-goal advantage to the fourth.Â
Hannah Harvey ended the scoring drought for the Aggies 00:31 into the fourth to cut the CSUN lead to one. The Matadors responded with their ninth-goal of the match on a score from Fairchild on a power play. UC Davis moved a goal closer on a CSUN penatly resulting in a free five-meter shot from Tocchini but the Matadors would stay in front in the closing minutes.Â
CSUN snuffed out a UC Davis power play with under 4:00 to go and Fairchild extended the lead to 10-8 with a score deep into the shot clock. The Matadors surrendered a late goal with under a minute to play but CSUN would manage the clock wisely in the final seconds to seal the win.Â
The end of the regular season ends the collegiate careers for Taitum Herrington, Taryn Kamimoto and Natalie Averell. Although the trio did not compete on Sunday, they end their careers as contributors to 75 CSUN victories over the past four years. During their tenure, they were also members of the 2014 squad that advanced to the Big West Conference Tournament Finals. Team captains Herrington and Kamimoto complete their Matador careers with 35 and four goals respectively. Averell tallied a career-high 53 saves this season, giving her 131 in her four seasons with the team. In the record books, Averell leaves CSUN ninth-all time in career saves.Â
Fairchild led CSUN with five goals in two conference tournament matches while Yule tallied three, and Sanchez and Hovanesian had two. Sanchez ends her remarkable sophomore season with 73 goals, which is the fourth-most scores in a season in team history.Â
As a team, CSUN concludes 2016 with a 12-20 record but ends the campaign with two wins over its last three against Top 20 teams.Â
CSUN: 2-3-3-2 = 10
UC Davis: 2-4-0-3 = 9
CSUN Goal Scorers: Fairchild 4, Yule 2, Hovanesian 2, Sanchez, Pollei
UC Davis Goal Scorers: Tocchini 2, Kohlmoos 2, Hansen 2, Virgil, Lutz, Harvey
CSUN GK Saves: Van Vugt 13
A day after suffering a defeat in the opening round of the conference quarterfinals, No. 24 CSUN Water Polo (12-20) bounced back in style with a 10-9 victory over No. 10 UC Davis (17-13) in a Big West Conference Tournament fifth-place game to close out the 2016 season. Katelyn Fairchild scored a career-high four goals to lead the Matadors on the offensive end and Niki Van Vugt tallied 13 saves inside the cage. The Matadors erased a halftime deficit with a strong third quarter and held off the Aggies down the stretch to pull off the upset win.Â
Coming into the 2016 season finale, the Matadors were winless in eight matches against Big West Conference foes including dropping two contests earlier in the season to 10th-ranked Aggies. In the team's last meeting, the Matadors fell 10-9 at home in a back-and-forth contest. Against UC Davis on Sunday, CSUN once again battled UC Davis in another seesaw affair that went down to the wire. In the end, CSUN showed grit to pull off the one-goal win to cap off a 12-win campaign.Â
Sophomore Madeleine Sanchez got the Matador offense rolling at the outset of the contest with her 73rd goal of the season. The game remained 1-0 for most of the first quarter until Allyson Hansen evened the contest at 1-1 with 4:41 on the clock. Both sides tallied one goal apiece over the final minutes of the period as the match remained tied at 2-2 going to the second.Â
The teams took turns exchanging goals in waining minutes of the second quarter as UC Davis took four different leads in the period but the Matadors remained close with strong play on the offensive end. After Carla Tocchini put the Aggies in front, Fairchild tossed in the tying goal on the Matadors' ensuing possession. Greta Kohlmoos made it 4-3 with a score with 1:58 left but again CSUN responded on the next possession with a tally from Shannon Hovanesian. Shortly after a CSUN ejection, Paige Virgil gave her team a one-goal lead momentarily before McKenzie Pollei struck the net with under a minute to play. UC Davis though took a 6-5 lead into intermission on a late score from Hansen.Â
In the third period, the Matadors turned up the defense with a strong quarter. In the eight-minute session, CSUN held the Aggies scoreless with stellar defensive play. On the offensive end, Amy Yule scored her second of the day to even the game in the opening minute and Hovanesian gave her team their first lead since the first period with just under 5:00 to play. Later in the quarter, CSUN added another on Fairchild's second score to push the lead to 8-6. The Matadors withstood a UC Davis power play in the final seconds and took a two-goal advantage to the fourth.Â
Hannah Harvey ended the scoring drought for the Aggies 00:31 into the fourth to cut the CSUN lead to one. The Matadors responded with their ninth-goal of the match on a score from Fairchild on a power play. UC Davis moved a goal closer on a CSUN penatly resulting in a free five-meter shot from Tocchini but the Matadors would stay in front in the closing minutes.Â
CSUN snuffed out a UC Davis power play with under 4:00 to go and Fairchild extended the lead to 10-8 with a score deep into the shot clock. The Matadors surrendered a late goal with under a minute to play but CSUN would manage the clock wisely in the final seconds to seal the win.Â
The end of the regular season ends the collegiate careers for Taitum Herrington, Taryn Kamimoto and Natalie Averell. Although the trio did not compete on Sunday, they end their careers as contributors to 75 CSUN victories over the past four years. During their tenure, they were also members of the 2014 squad that advanced to the Big West Conference Tournament Finals. Team captains Herrington and Kamimoto complete their Matador careers with 35 and four goals respectively. Averell tallied a career-high 53 saves this season, giving her 131 in her four seasons with the team. In the record books, Averell leaves CSUN ninth-all time in career saves.Â
Fairchild led CSUN with five goals in two conference tournament matches while Yule tallied three, and Sanchez and Hovanesian had two. Sanchez ends her remarkable sophomore season with 73 goals, which is the fourth-most scores in a season in team history.Â
As a team, CSUN concludes 2016 with a 12-20 record but ends the campaign with two wins over its last three against Top 20 teams.Â
CSUN: 2-3-3-2 = 10
UC Davis: 2-4-0-3 = 9
CSUN Goal Scorers: Fairchild 4, Yule 2, Hovanesian 2, Sanchez, Pollei
UC Davis Goal Scorers: Tocchini 2, Kohlmoos 2, Hansen 2, Virgil, Lutz, Harvey
CSUN GK Saves: Van Vugt 13
Players Mentioned
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Water Polo
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